Knife cleaner



June 25, 1963 P. SCHWARZ KNIFE CLEANER 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Dec. 26, 1961 June 1963 PPPPPP ARZ 3,09

led De 1 mHlltllmmmmmmnu lllllllHlHlilNH United States Patent cc 3,094,730 KNIFE CLEANER r PaulSchwai-z, 29'63N. 47th St;, Milwaukee 10, WIS. Filed Dec. 26', 1961, Ser. No. 161,939 3 Claims. (Cl; 15-210) This invention relates generally to kitchen appliances, and has as its purpose to provide a knife cleaner by which the various knives used in the kitchens of hotels, restaurants and institutions may be safely and quickly cleaned.

The cooks knives, French knives, scimitar knives, butcher knives, boning knives, and others used in the kitchens of hotels, restaurants and institutions, of necessity are very sharp and, in some respects, rather dangerous to handle, especially when cleaning them in the customary manner of simply wiping the blade with a towel or the like. The present invention removes this hazard by providing a simple, easily manipulated device by which the blade of a knife can be quickly cleaned by simply drawing it through the device.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one complete example of the physical embodiment of the invention constructed according to the best mode so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the knife cleaner of this invention, illustrating its manner of use;

FIGURE 2 is a rear view of the knife cleaner with a portion of its base broken away and in section;

FIGURE 3 is a detail cross sectional view through FIGURE 2 on the plane of the line 33;

FIGURE 4 is a detail cross sectional view through FIGURE 2 on the plane of the line 4-4.

Referring now particularly to the accompanying drawing, the numeral 5 designates the base of a knife cleaner constructed in accordance with this invention. The base may be formed of metal or any other suitable material and comprises a bottom portion 6 and a pedestal 7 rising therefrom. The pedestal 7 has a generally right-angularly shaped upper end to provide a substantially horizontal upwardly facing surface 8 and an arm 9 projecting up therefrom at one side thereof.

The arm 9 provides one of a pair of jaws, indicated generally by the numeral 10 and is, in fact, a fixed jaw, since it is an integral part of the base. The other jaw 11 is movable and is readily detachably mounted on the base in a manner enabling the same to be swung toward and from the fixed jaw. The two jaws have opposing faces 9' and 11' so shaped that, in the normal position of the movable jaw, these faces diverge upwardly. Each of these diverging faces has a wiper element 12 fixed thereto.

The wiper elements are preferably strips of rubber or like material, set into grooves 13 opening to the faces 9' and 11; and to solidly anchor the wiper elements, these grooves are undercut, as shown in FIGURE 3, and the wiper elements are correspondingly shaped.

In the normal position of the movable handle, the bottom ends of the wiper elements are in contact, as shown in FIGURE 2, so that upon insertion of a knife blade B therebetween and the exertion of pressure on the movable jaw to force the same toward the fixed jaw,

3,094,730 Patented June. 25,. 1.963

2. the knife blade will besnugly, grippedv betweenthe. wiper. elements- Hence, by simply inserting. the. knife blade as indicatedanddrawing theknife, through the. device while. the jaws are. pressed together, the blade will. be. quickly and safely cleaned.

As noted, the movable jaw isreadily detachablymount ed on the base, and when in position is connected-there? to by means of a hinge connection indicated generally by the numeral 14. This hinge connection comprises a finger 15 projecting down fromthe movable jaw into a socket 16 in the base which opens to its substantially horizontal upwardly facing surface 8. Preferably the finger 15 and also the socket 16 are rectangular in cross section, and to allow the movable jaw to swing toward and from the fixed jaw, the socket is wider at its mouth than the finger in the direction of movement of the movable jaw; but at their lower ends the finger and socket have substantially the same Width, so as to form a fulcrum about which the movable jaw swings.

To constrain the movable jaw to motion in a plane which intersects the fixed jaw, the opposite faces of the finger 15 and the socket 16, which are in sliding engagement, are flat and parallel to a plane which passes medially through the fixed jaw.

A handle 17 formed on the movable jaw provides means by which the jaws may be pressed together, and by virtue of the manner in which the movable jaw is mounted on the base, gripping the handle 17 enables the entire device to be steadied and held against shifting on the counter top upon which it stands while the knife is drawn through the device in the act of having its blade cleaned.

At that side of the pedestal 7 which faces away from the person using the knife cleaner, the bottom portion 6 of the base is preferably enlarged and projects from the pedestal, as shown, to provide a tray or receptacle to catch anything which drips from the blade as it is being cleaned, and to enable such material to drop directly downward, the adjacent face of the pedestal is concave, as shown in FIGURE 4.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be readily apparent that the knife cleaner of this invention fills a vital need, and that its use makes the cleaning of large, sharp knives used in hotel, restaurant and institutional kitchens a much safer operation than it was heretofore.

What is claimed as my invention is:

1. A knife cleaner comprising:

(A) a base member having a bottom adapted to rest upon a supporting surface, and having a stepped upper formation to provide (1) a substantially horizontal upwardly facing surface, and

(2) an arm projecting upwardly from said surface near one side thereof, said arm providing a fixed jaw having a narrow elongated front face;

(B) a movable jaw member removably seated upon said upwardly facing substantially horizontal surface of the base member and also having a narrow elongated upn'ght front face;

(C) a resilient wiper strip on each of said jaws projecting from the elongated front face thereof and extending lengthwise thereof;

(D) means providing a readily separable hinge connection between the movable jaw member and the base member comprising a finger on one of said members inserted in a socket in the other member, said hinge connection so positioning said members that the wipers on their front faces are normally in divergent opposing relationship; and

(E) handle means on the movable jaw member by which the knife cleaner may be held by one hand 3 4 and the jaws pressed together as a knife blade is References Cited in the file of this patent drawn between them with the other hand. 2. The knife eleaner of claim 1, wherein the socket is UNITED STATES PATENTS in the base and opens to said upwardly facing substantially horizontal surface of the base, and the finger pro- 5 fi jects down irom the bottom of the movable jaw. 1 059491 s Z A 1913 3. The knife cleaner of claim 2, wherein the socket 1219993 1917 and said downwardly projecting finger on the movable jaw 2763O18 o S 1956 has slida-bly engaging flat sides lying in planes parallel 2903727 R 1 e ep 1 5 to the direction the movable jaw moves toward and 10 attay Sept 9 from the fixed jaw, to constrain the movable jaw to such motion. 

1. A KNIFE CLEANER COMPRISING: (A) A BASE MEMBER HAVING A BOTTOM ADAPTED TO REST UPON A SUPPORTING SURFACE, AND HAVING A STEPPED UPPER FORMATION TO PROVIDE (1) A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL UPWARDLY FACING SURFACE, AND (2) AN ARM PROJECTING UPWARDLY FROM SAID SURFACE NEAR ONE SIDE THEREOF, SAID ARM PROVIDING A FIXED JAW HAVING A NARROW ELONGATED FRONT FACE; (B) A MOVABLE JAW MEMBER REMOVABLY SEATED UPON SAID UPWARDLY FACING SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL SURFACE OF THE BASE MEMBER AND ALSO HAVING A NARROW ELONGATED UPRIGHT FRONT FACE; (C) A RESILIENT WIPER STRIP ON EACH OF SAID JAWS PROJECTING FROM THE ELONGATED FRONT FACE THEREOF AND EXTENDING LENGTHWISE THEREOF; (D) MEANS PROVIDING A READILY SEPARABLE HINGE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE MOVABLE JAW MEMBER AND THE BASE MEMBER COMPRISING A FINGER ON ONE OF SAID MEMBERS INSERTED IN A SOCKET IN THE OTHER MEMBER, SAID HINGE CONNECTION SO POSITIONING SAID MEMBERS THAT THE WIPERS ON THEIR FRONT FACES ARE NORMALLY IN DIVERGENT OPPOSING RELATIONSHIP; AND (E) HANDLE MEANS ON THE MOVABLE JAW MEMBER BY WHICH THE KNIFE CLEANER MAY BE HELD BY ONE HAND AND THE JAWS PRESSED TOGETHER AS A KNIFE BLADE IS DRAWN BETWEEN THEM WITH THE OTHER HAND. 